


The Thing

by xoxodelvidestruction



Category: Motorcycling RPF, Motorsport RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22212241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoxodelvidestruction/pseuds/xoxodelvidestruction
Summary: There's a dark secret to Marc's talent.
Relationships: Alex Marquez & Marc Marquez
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: Motorsport RPF 2020 Winter Writer's Party





	The Thing

As darkness descended over the trees behind the Marquez household, something caught Marc’s attention. Being naturally curious, the young boy chased after the glowing fireball he had seen fly past his window. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, hopping over the small creek behind his house and tearing off through the woods. 

After nearly fifteen minutes of searching, he found the subject of his furied hunt. The fireball had dimmed, nothing more than a glowing orb now. Strangely though, it glowed blue instead of the expected orange or red. He knew he shouldn’t get closer, but he could not stop, pulled in by a magnetic force.

Marc tentatively reached out a hand, tapping the surface to test if it was hot. The orb was cool to the touch. He snapped his hand back as his mother’s voice called out from the house, startling him out of whatever trance he had been in. 

“Marc Marquez! You had best get back here before I feed your dinner to your little brother!” she called, spurring Marc back into a run. He was always a little hungry, just like any growing boy, but today, today he was famished. 

His stomach grumbled loudly as he dashed back into the house, crashing into his chair at the dining table. Alex, his little brother, looked disappointed to see him, his greedy eyes staring longingly after Marc’s portion of potatoes. 

“What’s on the back of your shirt?” his father asked, leaning over to brush whatever it was off Marc’s shoulder. “Hmm, I guess it was just a shadow,” he shrugged, still looking curiously at his eldest son. There wasn’t anything visible, but he still felt uneasy. 

From that night forward, Marc began hearing a voice in his sleep. It was foreign, speaking with a rhythm and accent he had never heard before. Despite the strangeness, the voice comforted him. 

“Tomorrow you will race bravely. You will win because you will not fear falling.” Marc scrunched up his nose, murmuring softly as he slept. Alex turned on the light, woken by Marc’s quiet voice. His face was still calm, though, obviously sound asleep. 

Marc stretched, pulling each arm carefully across his chest to loosen the muscles. He knew he should be feeling nervous, but his mind was at ease. Despite being penalised for an earlier incident with another rider, Marc wasn’t worried about starting dead last. 

“Hey, there’s a…” Alex trailed off, looking confused as he stared at Marc’s back. He shook his head, taking one final glance over his brother’s shoulder. “Sorry, I thought I saw… Anyway, try to stay calm out there today,” he urged, knowing his brother would make a charge through the field. He was capable, but he wasn’t always careful. 

“I know,” Marc replied with a wide smile. “I can brake later than all of them,” he continued. Alex cringed. This over-confidence was what he feared more than Marc’s nerves. 

“Just don’t make any crazy moves. Think about passing cleanly, not just passing.” 

“I think my crash last year scared you more than me,” Marc joked, clapping a hand onto his little brother’s shoulder. Alex knew it was true. Marc had been relatively unfazed by his massive crash. He had been a little upset over his double vision, but that had cleared up miraculously. His progress had shocked every doctor they had been to. 

While Alex still suffered from the occasional nightmare over his brother’s near-death experience, Marc continued to push his limits even further. Many of the riders had begun to whisper about his unnatural ability to push the bike. It was like he didn’t feel anything. He had no fear of crashing no matter how many times it happened. 

There was also an even stranger rumour circulating the paddock: Marc had something on his back. None of the riders had ever seen it well enough to give it a description, but they all saw  _ something _ out of the corner of their eye. They heard Marc’s chanting. They  _ felt _ the presence of something else. 

As predicted, Marc easily charged through the field. He even managed it fairly cleanly. The bike leaned further into every corner, braked later each time. It was terrifying to watch. 

Alex let out a sigh of relief as his brother made it into Parc Ferme in one piece. He knew his brother was a great rider, but he was always afraid for his safety. Someone had to be. 

Later that night, he sat out with Marc by the fire pit. It was a warm night, perfect for celebrating his brother’s win. 

There. Just to the left of Marc’s spine, he caught his first glimpse of the thing that had been evading everyone. It was unmistakable this time. There was a set of glowing blue eyes just barely peeking over Marc’s shoulder. 

Marc!” he shouted, grabbing for him. 

“What?” Marc jumped, spinning around as he caught the horrified look in his brother’s eyes. 

“You really can’t see it?” Alex asked, his voice strained as he tried not to panic. Whatever it was, he had never seen anything similar before in his life. 

“Can’t see what?” Marc shrilled, growing more and more worried as he couldn’t find the source of his brother’s fear. He yanked his shirt over his head, turning it over in his hands. 

“Oh my god,” Alex gasped. 

“I bring greatness.” Marc’s voice had changed, the creature speaking through him. Alex clapped a hand over his mouth, feeling like he might throw up. Marc was oblivious, still trying to find whatever had been on his shirt. 

The creature shifted slightly, its eyes reflecting the firelight. It looked a little like a giant spider, ‘legs’ extending around Marc. Some of them burrowed under his skin, reaching down into his arms and legs. 

“Please let him go,” Alex whispered, stepping back as Marc advanced on him. His eyes were glassy and unfocused. 

“Together we are great. Alone we are nothing.” Marc’s hands moved with each word, his hands clasping and unclasping in demonstration. “I will never let him go.” Marc reached into the fire, picking up a piece of still-glowing kindling. His skin smoked as he held onto the ember. Alex whimpered, knowing the creature was demonstrating its power for him. 

“Don’t hurt him,” he murmured, reaching out to take the firewood from Marc’s hands. 

“If you expose us, I will kill him.” Marc dropped the ember. Marc’s eyes refocused. “Why are you crying?” he asked Alex, reaching out for his brother. Alex shied away. “Why is my hand burned?” he continued, dropping to his knees as the pain overwhelmed him. Before their eyes, the flesh began to heal itself. The weeping red flesh was rapidly replaced by new skin. The only sign of anything being different was the loss of Marc’s callouses. 

“Can’t you see what’s on your back?” Alex choked out, the tears falling more rapidly now. He couldn’t begin to keep his emotions in check. “Marc, there’s something attached to you. Look!” he urged, grabbing Marc’s arm and twisting it to partially expose the back of it. 

Marc screamed as he saw something black embedded in his skin. It moved, rolling under his skin. 

“Help me!” Marc began trying desperately to claw at his arm, his fingernails tearing through the skin. His arm dripped with blood as he caught the edge of whatever was buried there. Suddenly, his eyes went glassy once more and his hands stilled. The skin began closing up, the black appendage sliding further under the skin. 

Alex tried to run, sensing what was coming next. His legs managed to carry him a few strides away before something knocked him down. He crashed to the ground, a throbbing pain in the back of his head. 

He gently rubbed at the sore spot, his hand covered in blood as he pulled it away. Footsteps approached and he tried to back away, scrambling across the rough terrain like a crab. 

Marc caught up to him, though. His eyes glowed blue as he leaned over Alex. “I want to keep him.” His voice was eerily calm. Alex raised his hands over his head, uselessly trying to protect himself. Marc raised the rock in his hand, seemingly intent on smashing it against his brother’s head. 

To Alex’s shock, the rock dropped onto the ground next to him. He lowered his hands, peering up at Marc. Marc reached out a hand. Alex nearly accepted it, gasping as he saw the black tendrils moving beyond Marc’s fingers.

“No, no, no,” he begged, realising what was coming. He tried to crawl once more, his attempts futile as something anchored his foot to the ground. Alex’s heart beat unbearably fast and he thought he might pass out. The creature split as it stretched out, one half dropping onto his stomach as the other half crawled back behind Marc’s shoulder. 

The scream died in Alex’s throat as his senses dimmed. A sense of calm washed over his entire body. 

“Stronger together.” The brothers’ eyes glowed the same shade of blue. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
